How Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black pulled off upset over Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright
Last Edited
Sep 01 2025
Category
News
Late last week, we asked whether the powerhouse duo of Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright could be beat this year.
Most of the people in our Facebook community said no, with others saying "maybe but not yet."
In the article discussing the challenge of beating the No. 1 team, we laid out a blueprint that we thought would give teams the best chance to play Waters and Bright close, or perhaps win. We also identified Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black as the best possible team to successfully overcome the top team.
Two days later, Johnson and Black took down Waters and Bright in the semifinals of the PPA Tour Walgreens Open in Las Vegas.
This leads us to wonder: Did one of you share the blueprint with Johnson and Black? (Just kidding ... kind of.)
Here's a breakdown of what happened during the much-anticipated matchup, and how it matched with our blueprint:
Blueprint: Gel together as a team ✅
Johnson and Black have been teammates for the Dallas Flash in MLP for two seasons now, and they have also played several PPA Tour events together, with a gold earlier this year over Waters and Catherine Parenteau. They are one of the most experienced teams on the women's side at this point.
Blueprint: Return to Waters ✅
This is more of a partial check. Johnson and Black used this strategy a lot, but not exclusively. The adjustment they made here was a good one. They recognized that Bright was under tremendous pressure and upped the heat. But when they did return to Bright, that allowed Waters to roam up front, which did place additional pressure on Johnson and Black at times.
Coaching note: Who to return to is a huge key when you are playing a competitive match. Johnson and Black navigated this decision making masterfully in this match.
Blueprint: Be first to act ✅
BIG check here. Johnson and Black pushed Waters and Bright around for much of the match. That's because they were not afraid to take the first shot and then trade blows. You are not going to beat the No. 1 team unless you are willing to get in there and mix things up.
Blueprint: Target Bright ✅
Another big check. Bright is an amazing player, but Waters is the best. Johnson and Black did a great job of primarily targeting Bright while keeping Waters in check and playing some balls behind her. The pressure of being partnered with the No. 1 women's player seemed to wear on Bright as the match progressed. It is an unfortunate reality that anyone partnered with the best in the game will have to face.
Conclusion
Whether they had the Blueprint or not before Saturday's match, Johnson and Black followed the plan laid out in there very effectively and secured the upset win.
It goes to show that having the right strategy going into a match makes all the difference in close matches like this one. And these strategies can be devised ahead of time.
Keep studying the game and watch video of your own matches so that you too can solve the puzzle.
Tony Roig is a nationally-recognized coach, Sr. Pro Player, developer of “Respect the X” on the In2Pickle YouTube channel, and the voice behind the Pickleball Therapy podcast. Visit BetterPickleball.com for information on coaching from Tony and the BP team through their Camps, Academy, and No. 1 online training program: The Pickleball System.
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